FC Barcelona are back in action in LaLiga this Sunday, November 3, in the derby against Espanyol. In the run-up to the match that will be played at the Estadi Olimpic Lluís Companys, Hansi Flick has spoken to the media in a press conference in which, aside from the sporting aspect, he lamented the tragedy experienced in the Valencia area by the DANA.
Initially, the German was restrained and said that "we have Ferran, who is from there. We have spoken about it with the team. It is not easy to decide what to do. We started to see it yesterday. Something similar happened in Germany three years ago, it is horrible. If we can support, we will do it," to later affirm that, if it were up to him, he would have suspended the league match.
"The other thing is a decision by LaLiga. If I could make the decision, maybe I would have done it, maybe yes, because it is a tragedy for all of Spain"
Barça's feelings ahead of the derby
In terms of football, Flick made it clear that the Blaugrana team will have to confirm the great level shown last week in the derby against the periquito team. "I know what a derby against Espanyol means. It will be difficult for us. After a great week it is important that we play at 100% as always and show the quality we have," he said.
"We always prepare well for the next game and when you win it is also possible to celebrate, but then we have to concentrate on the next game. The road is long until the end and we are doing well," he added, later stating that he does not yet see himself as a favorite to win LaLiga since "many things can happen. We are in a good moment."
Will there be rotations in the derby?
When asked if there will be rotations against Espanyol in view of the Champions League clash against Red Star, Flick said that his focus is on Sunday's match, although he did not comment on any changes to the starting eleven. "I always think about the next match. Now we play against Espanyol and then we'll see," he said.
However, when questioned about Frenkie de Jong's current form, the German did not hesitate to praise the Dutchman and left the door open to his possible starting position. "I like what I see in Frenkie. We saw him in the second half in Madrid. He gives us control, stability. He also had a serious injury and now we have him back and he helps us to have more options and more possibilities," he said.
In addition, he highlighted the good performance of the duo made up of Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez, making it clear that he will continue to bet on their continuity. "The relationship between Pau and Iñigo has been facilitated by stability. It's not easy to play our game. They contribute a lot to us and it helps us that they play so many games together. In each game we ask them to focus and they are doing very well," he said.
The return of the injured
On the other hand, Flick was optimistic about the progress of Ronald Araújo, although he made it clear that they will not rush his return to the first team. "We don't want to put pressure on him. He is progressing well. He is improving, he is increasing the intensity in training, but we will not put pressure on him because the injury is considerable. But how I see it, he is on the right track. It's fantastic," he revealed.
Likewise, he confirmed that Eric García's absence will be longer than expected and the '24' will rejoin the first team after the next international break.
"I think he will return after the international break. He has had problems and has trained outside the group"
Finally, he spoke about the management of the squad after the return of several of the injured players. "It's hard to suffer when you have to leave someone out. For the coach, it's important to have everyone available. You have to manage it and you have to speak honestly with the players. I tell each player why he's not playing and it's something that we coaches have to manage," he concluded.